Rumsfeld Quietly Sidesteps General Franks With Proven Airborne Ranger Warfighter.

WashTimes "Inside Ring" | Gertz/Scarborough

[MindBender26]

Pentagon chatter says Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld finally has his own man at U.S. Central Command to supervise a war against Iraq: Army Lt. Gen. John P. Abizaid.

Officials said the hard-charging Mr. Rumsfeld was not always happy with the way Gen. Tommy Franks ran the war in Afghanistan. He has worried that Gen. Franks, chief of U.S. Central Command, will not be innovative enough in waging war against Iraq.

Now, however, Mr. Rumsfeld has plucked a general from the Joint Staff at the Pentagon and sent him to Central Command as Mr. Franks' deputy. In fact, Gen. Abizaid is already at CentCom's warfighting command center in Qatar getting ready to direct a war.

It was an odd move, given that CentCom already had a deputy commander, who is staying at its Tampa headquarters. But it does give Mr. Rumsfeld a deputy in the Gulf region whom he fully trusts.

A favorite of the defense secretary, Gen. Abizaid is a West Point graduate and career infantryman who speaks fluent Arabic, a skill that should help with Persian Gulf allies.

He also speaks German and Italian, a skill that helped when he commanded the 1st Infantry Division in Germany in 1999-2000.

[July 4th]

This sounds like a good move to me. Only time will tell.

[HardStarboard]

>>>President Lincoln then went on to Promote U. S. Grant to Lt. General<<<

I think Rumsfeld probably supplied General Abazaid with a case of "whatever Gen. U.S. Grant drinks".

[cynicom]

Patton had a viewpoint of the difference between generals and fighters.

I think Lincoln was a classic example of a man that could not find a fighter.

[July 4th]

Yeah, I think he means Myers. I think he's done a decent job, but he is a little dry - a noted contrast when he's standing next to Rummy.

Myers had one of my favorite lines of the war though: A member of the press kept hounding him on the purpose of the airstrikes in Afghanistan. He replied, "The desired effect was to kill Al-Qaeda." The reporter hounded him again, on how he knew the strikes were working and what they had found as evidence. He replies, "Dead Al-Qaeda."

[Alaska007]

Yes, General Myers

[Mo1]

As long as the job gets done and done right, They can put anyone they want over there

[cynicom]

Halsey was a good example, got a lot of good men killed because of his stupidity, intelligent yes, fighter, tried but failed.

[The Piltdown Man]

Gen. Tommy Franks bio.
http://www.centcom.mil/aboutus/Bios/bio_cccc.htm
Fine officer with a artificial leg.

[Dick Bachert]

Where is General Hal Moore when we REALLY need him?

[Dick Bachert]

Where is General Hal Moore when we REALLY need him?

[cynicom]

I assume he understands the Arab mind, perhaps that is why Rummy likes him.

[Quix]

DEAR GOD,

PLEASE PROTECT US FROM LEADERS--MILITARY AND POLITICAL--WHO CONSIDER THE APPLAUSE WORTH LIKING. THEY ARE NOT WISE ENOUGH TO LEAD.

Their arrogance is already leading their intellects and their hearts. And arrogance is not only too stupid to lead to good; it is headed in the opposite direction from good.

It seems to me, wisdom usually prefers to sit in the corner quietly observing, pondering or going about it's own business. Let us select the more obscure and reluctant but truly wise ones for our leaders.

And perhaps, after their tour is complete--rate their pensions according to a moderate sized questionnaire of informed and proven folk--educated formally or obviously somehow--the main point to have some wisdom in the rating and to avoid media swaying the masses mindlessly--have a questionnaire--about the leader's wisdom, effectiveness, humility--the better hallmark values of our culture as well as any that needed particular emphasis in that leader's reign.

[Keith]

Grant took over in Spring 64, after the successful completion of the Chattanooga campaign...

[Keith]

What makes you think Al-Jazqueera will report this...they would have to explain that there are Arab-americans who support freedom and overthrowing middle east tinpot dictators, rather than giving them airtime for anti-American polemics.

[Ecliptic]

Artillery OCS? Wish I had known about that in '70....Didn't want Infantry OCS, Artillery might have been better than going over as E-3 infantry...little too late now...</vent>

[dennisw]

http://www.library.cornell.edu/colldev/mideast/abizaid.htm Former comrades tend to describe him as one of the best leaders of troops they've ever seen. Abizaid has an "unassailable 'muddy boots' pedigree, [with] flawless brigade and division command," noted former Army secretary Louis Caldera.

My guess he is Lebanese Christian descent. Plus if he were Mooooslim they would be saying so.

[Kevin Curry]

President Lincoln relieved the feckless, strutting, equivocating McClellan in March 1862 and exercised direct command until November 1862 when he appointed Burnside to replace McClellan. In January 1863 Grant got his first really big break when Lincoln named him to command the Army of the West. Grant did not take control of all Union Armies until 1864 after Gettysburg.

[xzins]

I'm thinking that Grant's victory in 62 might have been Ft Donelson. After that he did what....Vicksburg and then Shiloh. Or was that the other way around?

[AdA$tra]

I you are going to be one, be a big red one!